Crossing Paths
by Ixcalia
Summary: Twins? Wouldn't he have known? Roxas has lived a hard life, and it's about to get complicated. But what is this connection he feels with Sora? Could they really be...? RikuXSora AxelXRoxas
1. Chapter 1

Well, I probably shouldn't be doing this while I'm working on another, but I'm going to start my second KH story. But, you know, ideas come and go so you should try to get them down before you lose them.

Chapter 1:

"Hey!" the brunette cried, his blue eyes widening as a blonde blur snatched the money out of his hand. "That was mine," he muttered angrily. Well, there hadn't been much, so he wasn't too worried. He had more.

"What a way to start my first day," Sora sighed, looking up at the looming figure that was Destiny Island High. Of course, as an incoming freshman, Sora was scared to death.

But he refused to show his fear. No way. He had once been told that seniors could sense fear and would pounce on the chance to humiliate and/or cause physical harm to the new and unaware freshmen. Speaking of which…

"Well, if it isn't little Sora!" Sora flinched at the voice and looked back to see Seifer and his 'crew' staring at him as if he were a lowly mouse and they were the starving alley cats. "I haven't seen you since grade school."

"H-Hey Seifer," Sora stuttered nervously. He slowly began to back away from the three seniors. "It has been awhile, but I have to go find all my classes. Maybe I'll see you later!" With that, he turned to run, but was caught by his shirt.

"Hey, you can't leave yet, y'know?" Rai grinned and pulled Sora back to Seifer.

"No need to run," Seifer laughed, ruffling Sora's hair, much to the younger boy's annoyance.

No need, huh? Sora could clearly hear the older boy cracking his knuckles, which more than likely meant he was going to punch him…repetitively…and hard. What? He may have been a freshman, but Sora wasn't stupid. He'd been beat up plenty of times through middle school to know just what to expect.

"Leave him alone Seifer," a voice interrupted as Seifer began to lift his fist. Sora couldn't see his savior from his position in front of Seifer, but it had sounded calm and smooth, so it was likely an upperclassman. An upperclassman that was kind, caring, tough…Sora was mentally praying that the owner of the voice didn't just want him for himself.

Seifer glanced back, scowling before motioning to Rai to let Sora go. "Fine Riku. I'll have plenty of chances. After all, I have all year." Seifer chuckled darkly and began to walk away, leaving Sora to pick him self off the ground.

A pale hand reached down and Sora gratefully took it, allowing the other boy to pull him up. Blue met aqua; Sora could feel his face grow warm as a blush crossed his cheeks.

Long, silver hair framed the boy's face, his green-blue eyes peeking out from behind the silver curtain. He looked so pale, but it seemed to work for him. At least he didn't look sickly pale.

"Are you okay?" Riku asked. Sora could only nod, his mouth hanging open. Riku smirked at that, but didn't bring it up. "My name's Riku; I'm on my last year." Sora blinked and quickly closed his mouth.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Sora. It's my first year here," he smiled shyly and shook Riku's hand.

"T-Thanks for saving me. I've had a bad day already without the beating."

Riku laughed. "It's fine. Do you need help finding your classes? I'll be happy to help."

"Sure," Sora rummaged through his bag and pulled out his schedule, handing it to the older boy.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in homeroom, lunch, study hall, and gym," Riku muttered thoughtfully, leading Sora into the school.

"Gym? I thought you only had to take gym for two years," Sora sighed and shook his head. He hated gym!

"You do, but after my first year, I decided to put if off for as long as possible." He shrugged and pointed at one of the rooms. "That's where your Math class is. Across from it is the English room and two doors down is History. Way down there, the last door, you see it? Good. That will be your Speech class. After that, you'll have lunch, which is on the bottom floor. You can't miss it. Then you'll have Study Hall. You go right up those steps and it's your first door on the left. Finally, it's gym and you're done."

Sora stared at Riku wide eyed. Did he just lose some brain cells? Yes, yes he did believe so. "It sounds so…overwhelming."

"Once you get into the groove of things, you'll be fine. Now, come on. I'll take you to homeroom." Sora nodded slowly and began to follow him once more. Honestly, he didn't thing he could remember any more rooms, but who cared? He was following behind a hot guy…er…did he forget to mention he was gay? Well, he was.

"Here we are." Sora quickly looked away from Riku's bottom and watched him cross the room. He sat next to a red head that was holding a small blonde boy in his lap. Blonde.

"You're the one who stole my money!" Sora growled. The blonde flinched and gripped at the hands around his waist.

"Shit," he muttered, trying to squirm away. The red head tightened his grip around him.

"Roxas," the red head mumbled into his ear.

"Axel, he's lying!" Roxas hissed, trying to pull away from his grip.

Axel shook his head, his green eyes narrowing. "Give him the money back." Roxas went limp against him, digging through his pocket and tossing the money at the confused brunette.

"Thanks, I think," Sora grabbed the money off the floor and quickly pocketed it.

"Fuck you!" Roxas spat and jumped away from Axel, quickly leaving the room.

"Maybe we should explain," Riku looked to Axel who reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Fine."

* * *

"I feel kind of bad now," Sora whispered sadly. "I guess I would be like that too if I went through all that."

Axel had explained that Roxas' parents had divorced when he was only four years old. His father was given custody of him, but became a drunk soon after and abused him until he was thirteen. His father died in a car accident, leaving the blonde to fend for himself for the past year. He lived out on the street now, running from the people who wanted to put him in a foster home.

"I've known Roxas for seven years now. After his father died, we got together; kind of a complicated moment, so don't ask for me to explain. Now, I'm working two jobs to get money for me and my family, as well as him." Axel rubbed his head tiredly, not noticing Sora's questioning look.

Riku quickly intervened. "Axel's parents died a few years ago. He has to take care of his twin sisters by himself."

Sora nodded. "Oh," he mumbled quietly as the bell rang. "I guess I'll see you at lunch?" He looked at Riku hopefully. It'd be nice to have someone to sit with, especially when that someone was a good-looking senior.

The look on Sora's face made Riku grin. It was adorable! "Yeah. Don't listen to the other seniors. You're more than welcome to sit with us."

Nodding excitedly, Sora grinned, gave a quick wave, and rushed out to his math class.

* * *

The rest of the day had gone pretty well. Roxas had never returned, so Sora never got a chance to apologize. Now, Sora found himself walking around town aimlessly, trying to think of something to do. Red suddenly caught his eyes and he looked over to see Axel standing in front of the middle school.

"Hey Axel," Sora greeted him curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up the twins," Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"At six? Why so late?" Axel chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Well, from 3:30 to 5:00, they had choir practice. Then, the younger one got detention from 5:00 to 6:00." Sora laughed at that.

"A troublemaker?"

"Nah, not most of the time. She just likes to goof off sometimes," he smiled as two girls rushed out of the building.

They looked nothing like Axel or each other. The older one (she was scolding the other one for getting detention) had shoulder length white hair, currently in pigtails with two black hairpieces that looked suspiciously like bunny ears. Her big brown eyes were soft, but currently narrowed as she ranted angrily. A pair of glasses was carefully balanced on the ridge of her nose.

The younger twin had long black hair, hanging down to her thighs. Her green eyes (the only trait that Sora could see that was similar to Axel) were half closed, her attempt at drowning out her twin's ranting obvious.

"Axel! Tell Lyra that what she did was wrong!" The older twin looked at Axel pleadingly.

"What exactly did she do?" he asked, staring at the two blankly.

"She kicked a boy in the…um…er…"

"I kicked him in the nuts," Lyra said bluntly, a small smirk on her face.

Sora flinched, looking at the high-heeled, knee-length boots she was wearing. That would definitely hurt.

"W-Why would you do that?" Axel winced at the very thought.

"He reached under my skirt!" she snapped, crossing her arms angrily.

"Right. Good girl," he grinned and ruffled her hair. "Next time, feel free to throw in some more kicks, and maybe some punches."

"But the boy didn't mean it!"

"Shut up Lila!" Lyra growled and lightly punched the other girl in the arm.

"But he didn't. Some of the older kids shoved him!" Lila huffed and hit the younger twin back.

"That's not a valid excuse. He still did it!" Axel quickly grabbed the two and pulled them apart before Lyra could punch Lila again.

"Okay, okay. Deep breaths." Both girls took in a deep breath and sighed. "Better?" They both nodded. "Good. Oh, Sora, these are the twins, Lila and Lyra." He motioned to both of them respectively. "Girls, this is Sora. He's a friend from school."

"He kind of looks like Roxas, y'know if you look at the eyes and the face," Lila stared up at him and Lyra nodded in agreement. "It's nice to meet you Sora!"

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Lyra grabbed Axel's shirt and tugged. "Big brother, what's for dinner? I'm hungry!" she whined, her stomach pointedly growling.

"Right," he chuckled. "Sorry Sora. I have to get these two home so they can get something to eat. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you. It was nice meeting you two," he smiled as the two girls waved and followed Axel down the street.

He felt bad for Axel. He had no parents and the responsibility of raising Lila and Lyra was put on him. Plus, he tried to earn extra money to take care of Roxas. Why didn't he just let the boy live with him?

"What the fuck do you think you were doing with Axel?" Sora jumped and looked back to meet the angry blonde.

"Just talking. Why does it bother you so much?" Roxas scowled and clenched his fists angrily. Just talking? He didn't believe it.

"Liar," he hissed. "Bastard! You stay away from him, or I'll kill you!" He turned away and began to go the same way Axel had gone.

"Wait! Can we talk?"

Roxas froze and glanced back at him. Was he psychotic? He just threatened to kill him and he wanted to _talk_? The pleading look on the other boy's face made his resolve crumble. Why? Why did he care?

"Okay, let's go talk. But if you don't mind paying, I'm fucking starving."

Well, doesn't Roxas have quite the temper? Tell me if I should continue! I must know so that I can write over the weekend, so hurry!!!


	2. Chapter 2

I didn't get very many reviews, but according to the stats of this story, not very many people even read it…-_-; I hope that changes. If not, well, there will really be no point in me continuing it.

Chapter 2:

Sora watched, wide eyed, as the boy in front of him devoured the food. The fries and cheeseburger that he had ordered were gone within minutes and after, Roxas had convinced Sora to order him a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Well, Sora thought with a grim smile, he supposed it was barely the blonde's fault he was so hungry. He had no home after all, and no parents to look after him.

"Full?" Sora asked after Roxas had finished and leaned back in the booth he was sitting in. Roxas only nodded. "Okay. Look, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to embarrass you or make you mad. I had no idea that things were so…bad for you." Roxas narrowed his eyes angrily, but sighed before he could say anything insulting.

"I guess it's not your fault. I mean I did steal from you. Guess…I'm sorry," he muttered, looking away. Ugh, he hated apologizing. Sora seemed satisfied with that and continued to eat his own meal. "So, you came in with Riku, right? I noticed you staring at his ass when you walked in."

Red faced, Sora looked at the table, refusing to meet Roxas' smug gaze. "I was not. I was just…er..."

"Don't worry about it. If I weren't with Axel, I'd probably go after him too. And hey, he's gay, just so you know," Sora looked up and smiled hopefully.

"He is? Really?" Roxas nodded. "I never would have thought it; I mean, he looks like such a…such a—"

"A ladies man? Yeah right. But we don't tell the girls that. It makes it that much funnier when he has to explain it to them, then turn them down." Roxas smirked and crossed his arms. "I love the look on their faces when he tells them he's gay. Priceless."

Sora laughed at that. Maybe Roxas wasn't that bad. He wasn't how he imagined him and it was comforting to know that they were starting to get along. It would save him a lot of trouble this year.

"What's your story?" Sora looked confused. "You know, your family? I don't recall seeing you in Junior High. Did you just move here?"

"No, it's not that. My mom had me go to the Junior High on the other island; something about it being 'smaller and safer'. She tends to be…over protective."

"Ah, can't say I know what that's like, but it sounds irritating. What about your dad?" Sora shook his head sadly.

"I don't know much about him. My mom and him divorced when I was little and I never seen him again. Not that I wanted to. My mom always told me that he was a violent man. I don't do well with violence." Roxas snorted slightly. What a coincidence.

"I never knew my mom; not that I can remember anyway. I was always stuck with my dad, the bastard," he grounded out. No, it wasn't Sora's fault. He couldn't get angry with him. It was just thinking about his dad always pissed him off. "Sorry, it's just—"

"You don't have to explain anything to me. It's okay," Sora smiled reassuringly. "But, is everything okay between us? I mean, are you still mad?"

Roxas looked him over blankly, before shrugging and smirking slightly. "Yeah, we're cool. Just remember: Axel's mine."

"Trust me, I'll keep that in mind. But, about Riku…think you could help me?" Roxas grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Sure."

* * *

"Hey mom, think a friend could stay with me tonight?" Sora asked, leading Roxas into the kitchen. They blonde was looking around curiously, inspecting everything in awe. He'd never seen a home like this before. It was nice and everything just spoke 'normal and happy'. It gave him a homey feeling.

"It's a school night dear," Sora's mother turned around and looked at Sora and his friend. A sudden sharp inhale of breath could be heard from the woman. "W-Who's your friend?"

Sora gave his mother a questioning look, but did the introductions all the same. "This is Roxas; I met him at school. Roxas, this is my mom, Noleta."

"Nice to meet you," Roxas greeted respectfully. Noleta only nodded, a certain indifference seeming to radiate from her.

"Sora, I don't know. It is a school night, and I didn't buy enough to make dinner for three." Noleta sighed when Sora gave her a warming smile.

"It's okay. We already ate and we'll be in bed by ten. I promise. Pleeease?" Noleta sighed in defeat and nodded her assent, before turning away from the two without another word.

"I don't think your mom likes me," Roxas muttered, following Sora up to his room. "She seemed surprised when she saw me, and then she just acted cold. What's with that?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe she had a bad day today?" he suggested, plopping down on his bed. "Either way, I'm sorry about that. She doesn't usually act that way. I don't know what's gotten into her."

Roxas shrugged. He supposed it was fine. It wasn't like he really knew the woman anyway, so why worry about it? "Anyway, what are we gonna do about you and Riku? Riku's kind of tricky; he's so uninterested most of the time, so it's hard to tell what he likes and what he doesn't."

"This whole things got me kind of nervous. I've never crushed on anyone before," Sora blushed slightly at the revelation/confession. "This will turn out horrible!" he groaned, putting his hands over his face.

"No it won't. After all, you have me to help," Roxas smirked when Sora groaned again. "But first, where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, down the stairs and to the left. I promise my mom won't maul you or anything," he joked. Roxas laughed and nodded, leaving the room. When he got down the stairs, he could hear Noleta's voice, sounding distressed and frantic.

"I don't know how this could happen? They moved to Twilight Town after the divorce, but now he's back. I don't know what to do," she sobbed into the phone. The person on the other end could be heard only as an incomprehensive whisper.

"I know, but what if he's just like his father? He looks just like him! I can't handle that; and I let him in my house with Sora. It'll be hell if he finds out." Roxas listened intently, trying to hear the other end of the conversation.

"I'm sure he…his father…wouldn't want to…just because…looks like him…"

"Don't get me wrong; I love him. I always have, but to know that there's even the slightest chance that he's anything like Trevor…it would kill me. He could hurt Sora. And if Sora found out that he had a twin; I'd never hear the end of it," Noleta took a deep, calming breath. "Maybe I should move again. Just to get Sora away from Roxas. I can't let either of them find out that they're related, let alone twins."

Roxas' eye widened slightly. Twins? Wouldn't he have known? How could this have happened? Roxas swallowed nervously and walked into the bathroom, closing the door quietly so that Noleta couldn't hear it. He suddenly felt sick; he needed Axel.

He whimpered quietly, sliding down to the floor and pulling his knees to his chest. So that woman in the other room was his mother? She hadn't even wanted him before, just because he looked like his father? And now, she had the nerve to think he'd act like him? His eyes began to sting, tears sliding down his face. Fuck everyone. Fuck it all. Why did he even bother?

Standing up slowly, he wiped the tears from his face and opened the medicine cabinet. There were a lot of prescribed medications, most of them belonging to Noleta. He grabbed one and popped the lid, pouring all the contents into his hand. Fuck everything…

O_O That's the first suicidal chapter of anything I've ever written. I'm so horrible! Someone save Roxy!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Uh…hmm…I have nothing to say for once. Sooo…thanks to everyone who reviewed. Enjoy!

Chapter 3:

Roxas lifted the pills to his mouth, hands shaking with nerves and anticipation. His stomach twisted painfully at the thought of the words his 'mother' was saying outside, the woman unknowingly driving him over the edge. The pills slipped into his mouth, one by one, and he swallowed each one as if it were a best-tasting treat…

Before he could swallow more than half of the little white tablets, a knock at the door startled him; he jumped in surprise, the remaining pills falling from his hand and scattering across the bathroom floor.

"W-Who is it?" he stuttered, trying to pick up the pills so that no one would notice them. Sora's voice drifted in from the other side of the door.

"It's me. I just wanted to see what was taking you so long; plus Axel just called your cell phone," Sora called, a curious tone in his voice.

Roxas was confused at first, before he remembered the phone that Axel had given him when he had gotten a new one. "Oh, um, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." Sora gave him a noise of affirmation and could be heard walking away. "Fine my ass. W-What the hell is wrong with me?" he ran a hand through his spiky hair, only succeeding in making the spikes stick up more.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas tried his best to calm himself and put on a content face. Anything to make sure Sora wouldn't suspect anything. He checked himself in the mirror. Satisfied that he looked normal, he walked out of the bathroom and went back to Sora's room.

"Hey, I'll be back in a few. I'm gonna go say hi to Axel at work and apologize for leaving school like I did. I don't want him to worry," Sora looked up at him, smiled, and nodded.

"Okay. You can just let yourself back in," Sora suddenly seemed confused, his brow furrowing. "Are you okay? You look a bit…pale."

Roxas swallowed and laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe I'm catching something," the brunette seemed to accept the answer and waved as his friend walked out the door.

As soon as his feet hit the outside, he was running. Axel. He needed Axel. Tear were running down his face; people stared at him curiously, but he didn't care. Fuck them all. The shop that the red head worked in was in sight. Only then did he allow himself to slow down.

Through a window, Roxas could see Axel handing a plastic bag to a teenage girl who was obviously flirting with him. She made an obvious effort to make sure their hands touched when she grabbed the bag from the Axel and she batted her eyelashes at him and giggled. Oh, hell no. As the girl walked out, Roxas tripped her, all the items in the bag falling to the ground and rolling across the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're going loser!" Now that the blond got a closer look at the girl, he clearly recognized her from school. Larxene, if he remembered the name correctly. Roxas grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her off the ground, bringing her to eye level.

"If I ever see you near him again, I swear I'll—"

"Hey! Calm down!" Arms wrapped around the angry blonde's waist and gently pulled him away from the startled looking girl.

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down! She was flirting with you!" Axel placed a gentle kiss on Roxas' neck. Roxas immediately went limp in his arms, his head bowed against his chest.

"Roxy, I'm yours and you know it. I will _never_ leave you," Axel whispered into his ear, gently massaging his hips with his hands. Roxas always needed to be reassured. It was so hard for him to trust people.

The girl had already left, much to Axel's relief, but the boy in his arms was beginning to shake. "What happened?" he asked, turning the younger boy and kneeling so that he was eye level with him. Tears were falling from his eyes, landing delicately onto the pavement. "Roxas…"

Roxas burst out into sobs, clinging to the red head as if he were the only thing keeping him alive, which was very much true. Realistically, he was the only one he lived for. Axel held him tightly, lightly rubbing his back. With the light touch, Roxas began to tell him everything that had happened in the past few hours. Sora, his mother, the pills…everything.

"You have to tell him Roxy. Sora has a right to know," Roxas stubbornly shook his head. "Hey, I haven't known Sora very long; hell, I just met him today, but I think he'd want to know. I think it'd make him happy. He seems like he's a lonely kid."

"I can't! It's like his mother said: it'd only be hell," Roxas sighed, his sobs calming to sniffles. "I don't know what to do. After everything his mother said…"

"Right. I have half a mind to go and have a little discussion with her, but that won't solve anything. Still, I think—"

"Axel! Get your ass in here and get back to work!" Axel flinched as his boss' voice called out to him from the small shop.

"Yes sir!" he called back, sighing as Roxas pulled away from him. "Look, I wish I could stay with you longer, but…" he trailed off, hoping that the boy would understand.

Roxas gave him a small, sincere smile and nodded. "It's okay. Sorry I got you in trouble. Now, you get back in there before you get fired." Axel nodded and leaned down, pressing a light kiss to the other's lips.

He pulled away, looking at him seriously. "Unless you're sure that you can hold yourself back, I want you to stay away from pills, sharp objects, and any other harmful things. Got it?"

Roxas nodded, giving him a weak, reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, promise. I'm feeling better already." Axel nodded, looking at him doubtfully, but he waved and went back to his post at the cash register. Roxas watched him through the window for a few minutes before turning back towards Sora's house. He didn't want to worry the innocent brunette.

* * *

The memory of earlier that day had long since been pushed aside. He had returned, being sure to avoid Sora's mother at all cost, and had made his way to Sora's room with no trouble. From then, they had been playing video games. Currently, they were playing Rockband 2, Sora on guitar and Roxas as the singer.

Sora laughed as they finished the song "My Own Worst Enemy". "You sing really good Roxas. Next time Demyx and Zexion come over, I'm definitely calling you over to sing." Both boys plopped down on Sora's bed, taking a quick break from their current gig. Of course, they were doing their best to ignore the clock that clearly said 11:37. So much for being in bed by ten.

"Demyx and Zexion? Who are they?" Roxas asked, kicking his shoes off. He was about ready to change into the green PJs that the brunette had offered him. Anything to get out of his clothes and comfy.

"They were friends with me in Junior High. They go to the high school on the other island, but they visit me as often as they can," Sora grinned at the memory of his two friends. "They're together; Demyx is always happy. It's ridiculous. Zexion's kind of quiet. He's anti-social. Also ridiculous."

"They sound cool. I'd like to meet them sometime," the blond mumbled, closing his eyes sleepily. "Eh, think I could go change? I'm ready to get some sleep. Got school tomorrow and I plan to stay all day; hopefully."

"Sure. You can change in here. I have to take a shower real quick and I'll be back up. Go ahead and go to sleep whenever you're ready," Roxas nodded and waited for Sora to leave before he began to strip.

Scars ran over his upper arms, stomach, and back. His father, even in a drunken state, was always careful to avoid giving him injuries where they would be visible to others wandering eyes. At that moment, Roxas was kind of thankful. He was thankful that his newly-discovered-twin was never subject to the abuse that he had to endure. Sora just seemed to be too innocent for his own good.

Roxas dressed quickly and climbed onto the air mattress that Sora had put up for him to sleep on. It had been a few weeks since he had had a comfortable sleep. He lay down and pulled the black comforter over his shoulders. Ah, sweet bliss. With that final thought, he slipped into a much needed sleep.

Fifteen minutes later, Sora walked into the room, looking at the blond worriedly. In his hand, he held two little white pills that he had found on the floor behind the sink. His mother hadn't used these particular pills in nearly four years, so that only left one other person.

Once he realized Roxas was asleep, he sighed and sat the pills on the stand beside his bed. He didn't have any proof that they boy had used them, but he was almost positive that they hadn't been there before. But if he was right, why did Roxas use them? Sora raked a hand through his hair and continued to stare, a smile making its way to his face when Roxas shifted and smiled slightly in his sleep. He must have been having a good dream of some sort.

Pushing the pills from his mind for the moment, Sora climbed into bed and pulled the covers over himself. Right now, he just needed a nice, long sleep. Yes; sleep made everything better.

There is the third chapter! Hope you like it!


	4. Chapter 4

Hrm…it's been a lot longer since I updated this story then I originally thought. Hehe…sorry! Anyway, thanks for the reviews everyone!

Chapter 4:

"Sora! You're gonna be late for school; I told you to go to bed early!" Noleta called from the bottom of the stairs, huffing when she received no response. She bit her lip, remembering that _Roxas_ had stayed with him last night. "That's it! I'm coming up there!"

The door was slammed open and Sora jumped, nearly falling out of bed at the loud bang that sounded from the door's impact against the wall. Well, that would leave a nice sized hole. "Wha…mom! It's only six! School doesn't start for two hours!" he whined, lying back down and pulling the blankets back over his head.

Noleta huffed and looked at Roxas, scowling at the still sleeping boy. Why did he have to look so much like his father? "It'll do you good, getting to school early. A good second day impression."

Sora snorted, already falling asleep again. Noleta sighed, giving up for the moment. As she went to close the door, she noticed something that made her shudder with worry. While Roxas had slept, the blankets had been thrown aside and his pajama shirt was riding up, revealing a scar-covered stomach. She didn't need to think twice about where those had come from…poor boy.

The door was closed quietly; Noleta lowered her head and heaved another sigh, thinking about the son she had never known. She knew she had no right to judge the boy because he was raised by the sole man she loathed in the entire world, but it was too hard not to think of said man when she looked at Roxas' face. They were much too similar. Suddenly, her face became serious and determined. She had to fix this; she had to make amends to the boy she had abandoned all those years ago.

* * *

A warm smell was what finally awoke Roxas from a deep sleep. He sat up quickly, vertigo getting the better of him, and he was forced down again. Damn, he felt sick. His blue eyes widened when he noticed the sun shining through the window; it seemed too bright to be morning.

He cursed when his eyes caught sight of the clock that way laying on Sora's bedside stand. The green-glowing numbers read 12:37. Roxas groaned. Fuuuuck! He was late…and it was only the second day of school! Why hadn't Sora got him up?

"You're finally awake," Noleta's sweet voice assaulted his ears and he couldn't contain the scowl he sent in her direction. "You were running a fever this morning and Sora couldn't get you to wake up, so I told him to just leave you be. It seemed you needed the extra rest." A tray filled with an assortment of breakfast food was sat in front of him. "Now eat up! You'll need it if you're gonna get better!"

Roxas stared at the food, his blue eyes narrowed in confusion and anger. "Why the fuck are you being so nice to me? Don't think I didn't hear your little phone conversation yesterday!"

Noleta's eye widened in surprise and she shook her head. "Roxas, please. At least let me explain before you get all worked up." Roxas gave her a look that said 'I'm listening' before she continued. "I know I shouldn't have said any of that. You just look so much like your father, and I worry about Sora's safety all the time. I was scared you'd be just like him."

"Well, I'm not," he snapped, gritting his teeth angrily. "And even if I were…I'm your son! You're the one who left me with him!" Roxas took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears that were stinging his eyes.

"It wasn't like that!" she cried defensively. "He took you from me! He kidnapped you and then moved to Twilight Town. The police here said there was nothing they could do and it was up to Twilight Town's justice system, but I had to show them proof and face him in court. But I…I was too scared to face up to him again. After the divorce, I swore I would never deal with him again, and I was afraid he'd hurt you if I did try."

"Look," Noleta continued before Roxas could retort. She lifted he shirt slightly, revealing her own scars that had piled up over the marriage. "I saw yours earlier. He treated you just like he treated me. Now I know that I made the wrong decision…you were hurt anyway." Roxas unconsciously pulled his shirt down further.

"Why did you say all that stuff on the phone about me? Do you understand how much that hurt me?" he asked quietly, lowering his head. "When I was younger, I used to wish that my mom would come and save me from _him_." Suddenly, Roxas laughed, a laugh filled with pain and sorrow. "I used to think my mother was an angel that my dad chained up so that she couldn't reach me, but everyday, those chains would break more and more until she was finally free to save me."

Noleta's eyes filled with tears at the confession. This broken boy…it was all her fault he was the way he was today. She gathered Roxas into her arms, whispering "Sorry," repetitively to the tense boy. He couldn't say he had ever been held by anyone but Axel. It felt kind of nice.

"I forgive you," he whimpered, pulling away from her. "But can't you tell Sora that we're twins? I think he deserves to know."

Noleta shook her head. "I'm not ready to tell him! I don't think he's ready to know either!" Roxas grimaced. "Just give me some time. I will tell him; I promise."

"I'm giving you a month," Roxas mumbled, finally eating his breakfast. "If you don't tell him by then, I will." Noleta sighed but voiced her agreement.

"So, where's your father?" she asked, biting her lip lightly. "I mean, is he around here?" Roxas shrugged and continued eating.

"That bastard's dead," he smirked, ignoring Noleta's surprised look. "Now, think I can get a shower?"

* * *

"Sick?" Axel growled. "Probably those damn pills," he muttered out loud. Sora looked at him quickly, recalling this pills he had found on the bathroom floor.

"What pills?" he demanded, grabbing Axel by the ear and yanking. The red head whined, trying to free himself from the brunette's grip to no avail. "What pills Axel?"

"I don't know," Axel whined, continuing his frantic squirming. "He got them from your house! That's all I know!" Sora finally released Axel from his grip and sighed.

"I knew it," he grumbled, laying his chin on his hand. They were currently at lunch where Sora had plenty of time to tell Axel of that morning's events. Silver suddenly caught his attention and Sora looked just in time to see Riku sit beside him. His face became tinted pink as Riku smiled at him.

"What's going on?" Riku asked, poking at the 'pizza' that the school had given them. "So where's Roxas at?"

"At Sora's house; sick," Axel sulked, laying his head on the cafeteria table. Riku rolled his eyes and turned to Sora, effectively ignoring the pouting red head.

"He does this every time he doesn't see Roxas," he explained. Sora only nodded, staring at Riku in awe.

Why did Riku have to be so hot? Sora wanted nothing more than to cuddle up to him and kiss him. Why couldn't it be that easy?!

"Did you guys hear about the dance next week?" Axel suddenly asked, finally lifting his head from the table with a grin. "I'm gonna ask Roxy to go with me."

Riku laughed. "Roxas is not going to a dance with you. You tried that before, and he broke your arm for it."

"No…he broke my arm because I wanted him to wear a dress and refused to buy him a tux for the occasion. That's why he didn't go," Axel seemed both amused and afraid of the memory. "This time, he can dress however he wants, so long as he goes with me."

"You…asked him to wear a dress?" Sora shook his head and smiled. "That's kind of mean, don't you think. It seems degrading."

"I was just trying to have some fun!" Riku and Sora both rolled their eyes. "Oh, come one. I'm sure you'd look great in a dress Sora." Sora's face flushed and he shook his head, not noticing the curious stare that Riku gave him, his eyes wandering over his lithe form before looking away. Axel, of course, noticed.

"Who you gonna ask Riku?" Axel asked suggestively, glancing at Sora for emphasis. Riku glared at him. "What? I was just asking an innocent question; no need to get all angry with me."

"I don't know who I'll ask. I don't even know if I'm going," Sora suddenly looked hopeful, an idea coming to mind. If only he could get up the courage to ask him…

"What about you Sora?" Sora's face flushed. He wasn't ready now, dammit Axel! Axel grinned when he noticed the pink spreading across the brunette's cheeks.

"I-I don't know either. I mean, I hardly know anyone here, so I probably won't even go." Sora felt like slapping himself. Couldn't he just ask Riku now…? No, he just wasn't ready yet. Why did he have to be so shy? So many whys and no answers.

"I'm sure you two will find _someone_ very special to go with." Axel snickered when the two sent fierce glares in his direction. "Anyway Sora, do you think I could stop over later to see how Roxy's doing? I won't stay long."

"I'm sure my mom won't mind," Axel scowled at the mention of Sora's mother. She had really hurt his Roxy yesterday. "Hmm, are you okay Axel? You look angry."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about Roxas is all," Sora smiled and shook his head.

"You don't need to be. My mom said she'd take good care of him; she's really good at making people feel better when their sick. She's a nurse after all!" Axel only nodded.

* * *

"So you have a boyfriend?" Noleta asked, grinning at her blushing son. "What's his name? What does he look like?"

"Um, well," Roxas rubbed the back of his head, still blushing at the thought of Axel. "His name's Axel. He has two little twin sisters that he takes care of since his parents are dead and he tries to take care of me too. He has red, spiky hair and green eyes. And…um—"

"Oh, his parents are gone? The poor dear. It must be hard having to raise his sisters and go to school like he does," Noleta shook her head sadly. "But he takes good care of you?"

"Yeah. He works two jobs so that he has some extra money for me. Honestly, he doesn't do too well in school by himself. I help him whenever I can to repay him for helping me through everything." Roxas chuckled. Honestly, he was considered a genius by most, though he didn't think much of his own knowledge. It was just proof of how he was forced to grow too fast.

"I'm sure he's a very bright boy. I'd like to meet him sometime." Roxas smirked, knowing that the red head would probably follow Sora home to see him. "How about some lunch?"

"That's okay. I'm still full from breakfast." Ignoring him, Noleta left to go make lunch for the two of them, much to Roxas' annoyance. He never ate much to begin with, but after that breakfast, he was stuffed and didn't think he could eat another bite without vomiting. "Oh well. I guess it's kind of nice that someone cares enough to do this for me." He couldn't help but grin and laugh quietly to himself. He never thought he'd have a family to care for him.

* * *

A dark chuckle echoed through the room that smelled of alcohol and smoke. "So, what are you going to do? That boy of yours is gone and you have no money to get to those there Destiny Islands."

Angry blue eyes narrowed on the drunken brunette. "If you would've snatched him like I told you to, he'd be here right now. But as for money, I'm sure you'll help me out, right?" Another chuckle.

"Of course man. You know, I suppose I owe you for letting little Roxas get away like I did." The brunette ran a hand through his hair and looked away guiltily.

"Good. At least you did something right, helping me fake my death like you did. Now, no one will ever expect me to show up there; if something goes wrong, all I need to do is get out of there. The restraining order won't do Noleta any good since I'm 'dead' now. The police won't believe her if she calls them." A full out laugh escaped the drunken man, though it faded into a coughing fit soon after.

"And while you do that, I'll look for Roxas and bring him 'home' for you. I'm sure he's tired of living on the street by now. He should be more than ready to come back," The blue eyed man nodded in agreement, leaning back in his chair.

"We'll leave tomorrow then. I'm sure that little Roxy will be on those islands too. He knows his mother's there."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

O_o I'm not nice…oh well! Review for a quicker update!


	5. Chapter 5

I'm updating! Yay! Thanks for those of you who read and reviewed…though more of you only read and didn't review…come on! I enjoy the reviews! Oh well! Here it is; enjoy!

Chapter 5:

"Mom, I'm home!" Sora called, glancing around the kitchen. Normally, his mother would be standing at the stove, getting ready to prepare dinner when he came home from school, but not today. Maybe Roxas was worse than he thought…

Axel snorted beside him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe she went out?" he asked, but the sound of footstep rushing down the stairs booted the thought away. Noleta rushed in, a smile planted on her face.

"I'm sorry Sora! Dinner may be a little late today. I was so caught up in taking care of Roxas, I completely lost track of time!" Her eyes wandered over to Axel. "You must be Axel? Roxas told me a lot about you. I suppose you want to visit him, yes? Sora, why don't you take Axel to see Roxas, okay?" With that, she hurried towards the cabinets, beginning to pull out the necessary items for that night's dinner.

Sora's blue eyes were wide as he stared at his mother. What had put her in such a good mood? Yesterday, she had been in a horrible mood! "Um…this way Axel. Roxas is up in my room."

Axel slowly pulled his emerald eyes away from Noleta and nodded, following Sora up the stairs. "Is she always like that?" he asked, have expecting to see his Roxy's blood splattered against the walls where the crazy woman had killed him while he slept. Fortunately, everything seemed in order, no blood in sight.

"No, not really. I don't know what's gotten into her." The brunette pushed his door open, allowing Axel in before closing the door behind them. "Hey Roxas!"

Roxas looked up from where he laid on the floor, playing one of Sora's handheld games. "Hi Sora," he grinned when he noticed Axel examining him carefully. "Hello Axel; you're so obvious you know!"

Axel scowled, sitting next to Roxas. "You know that's not why," he hissed quietly so Sora couldn't hear him. Roxas smiled reassuringly and kissed his cheek.

"Everything's fine. I've got things sorted out." The blond gave Axel a playful wink before standing up. "Who says we go out for awhile? I'm tired of sitting in this house!"

"But, you're sick Roxas. You shouldn't go out," Sora pointed out, plopping down on his bed. Axel reluctantly nodded his agreement and ruffled Roxas' hair.

"He's right. You should be resting, not running around town," Axel chuckled when Roxas let out a dramatic groan. "Come on, it's not so bad! I mean, you got to miss school, you sat here all day, probably playing video games, and by the looks of it, you ate pretty well." He motioned towards the few plates that were sitting nearby that had yet to be cleaned.

"Yes, and now I feel better. Please Axel! I want to go to the arcade for awhile!" Roxas pleaded, leaning his head on his lover's shoulder and looking up at him with adorable, wide eyes. Axel could see that the boy was playing him, and damn, it was working.

"Okay, okay! Two hours tops! Got it memorized?" The blond nodded quickly and hopped up, forcing down the wave of dizziness that hit him.

"You coming Sora?" The brunette glanced at the two warily, before nodding. "Great; now hurry up!" Roxas called, already running down the stairs and towards the door.

* * *

The arcade was strangely crowded today, much to the blonde's annoyance. He gets the chance to have fun, and here's the whole world, just crushing his hopes! He turned to Axel, crossed his arms, and huffed.

"There are approximately 297 levels of not right…this just covered about 249 of them," he muttered, eliciting a laugh from the red head.

"It's not that bad Roxy! Just enjoy your time here while you can; two hours, remember?" Roxas pushed his bottom lip out in a pout, but nodded, rushing off to find whatever game he wanted to play.

"He's a lot different than I originally would've thought," Sora mumbled thoughtfully, watching as Roxas rudely pushed through a crowd of annoying, giggling girls. "He was so mean before. Now he almost seems normal."

"You just needed to get passed his little barriers. He's not a bad person at all. He just doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know, which may be the best policy," Axel glanced down at the brunette, a smirk tugging at his lips. "So, um, when you gonna tell Riku you like him?"

Sora's eyes widened for the second time that day, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Am I really that obvious?" he asked desperately, his voice almost a whine. Axel laughed and nodded.

"Obvious to everyone but him. Either that, or he's playing hard to get with you," he chuckled, patting Sora's back. "All you have to do is ask him out. I'm almost positive that he'll say yes, no second thoughts."

"_Almost_ positive?" Sora asked, glancing up at the snickering red head. Said red head shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Well, there's always that little chance that he says no, but you can't think about that or you'll get nowhere with him! You have to be the brave soul that pushes forward!"

"Thanks for nothing, Axel," Sora muttered, looking to the floor. So, there was that dance coming up…if only he could get enough courage to ask Riku to go with him. "Oh; when are you gonna ask Roxas to the dance?"

"Eh, I'll ask him when he's done here. Let him have his fun, but remind me to not bring up anything about a dress, okay?" Sora rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement. It would just suck to have to drag the older boy to a hospital because Roxas broke his legs and arms. He vaguely wondered in the blond would feel bad enough to help, but he reasoned that he would probably stomp away angrily and then come find them when he was already at the hospital.

"Axel!" Roxas' voice rang through their ears, and they both turned to see him standing on the DDR stage. "Come dance with me Axel!" Axel scowled.

"You know I hate that thing! I fall every time!" he growled, but Roxas only smiled and stared. "Roxas…" he muttered warningly, but it had no effect. "Fine, dammit, I'll come dance with you! Manipulative bastard…"

Sora laughed and watched as the two began to dance, Axel managing to trip over his own feet on more than one occasion, and even falling off the stage once. Roxas on the other hand never missed his mark, gliding across the board gracefully, allowing his eyes to slip closed and just letting the music take over. Sora had to wonder how he could continue hitting the notes when he wasn't watching the screen.

"He comes here whenever he can. He loves that thing." Sora almost screamed when he saw Riku standing beside him. How had he missed _that_? "Heh, did I scare you?"

"Sort of! I didn't hear you walk up and you just started talking and I was just thinking and I didn't know you were here so of course I was scared and…" The brunette quickly closed his mouth, scowling at his own rambling. "Um, sorry. I talk faster than I think."

Riku shrugged and chuckled quietly. "Its fine. Roxas does the same thing; I'm used to it," he murmured, turning his eyes to look at the brunette. "Hey, would you mind if I talked to you outside? I have a question."

Sora nodded slowly and followed the older boy outside. The sun was just starting to set, casting an orange glow over the small island. "So, what did you want to ask me?" He cocked his head when Riku visibly swallowed, his hands rubbing together almost nervously.

"Well, uh…remember at lunch when Axel brought up that dance thing?" Sora nodded, urging him to continue. "And we both said we probably weren't going…?" He glanced at the brunette, hoping he'd caught on, but no such luck. Sora only continued to stare, nodding again, though he seemed almost…excited?

"Yeah, I remember. What's that have to do with anything?" Riku rubbed the back of his head nervously and let out a deep sigh. Well, it was now or never.

"I figured, you know, this is my last year in school and I'd rather not miss out on the dance, but I don't want to go alone…so…would you maybe…go with me?" Riku winced, watching the younger boy carefully, desperate for his answer.

Sora bit his lip, trying his best to hold back the yell of joy and the jumping that went with it. Did Riku just seriously ask him out? Did he really? YES! HE DID! Sora cleared his throat, trying to be calm. He couldn't sound desperate…don't sound desperate…

LOL! Well…I don't want to leave it there, but I have to! Class is going to start again, and I have to post this beforehand! I'll update as soon as I can, but until then, read and review please!


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